Boonton Twp. resident deplores PSE&G plan

William Crivelli, a Kincaid Road resident who has been monitoring developments on the project, told the Township Committee on Monday that opponents of the project are working to call attention to their concerns and seeking to get various governing bodies and agencies to take a position on it.

He cited officials in neighboring Boonton and the Morris County Freeholders as two entities that have not taken a position on the proposed project.

Highlands Switch Claimed

However, Crivelli was critical of the Highlands Council, which he said appears to have changed its position on the project.

The Highlands Council is the government agency charged with administering state Highlands Act legislation aimed at protecting drinking water for five million residents by preserving open space in 600,000 acres of Northwest New Jersey and limiting new development in already disturbed areas of that region.

Crivelli referenced a proposal by PSE&G to put $18.6 million in a "Highlands Mitigation Fund" with the Highlands Council to be used to offset any environmental impacts of the project.

In addition to getting approval for its project application from the state Board of Public Utilities (BPU), PSE&G also is seeking a Highlands Act exemption to help complete the project. The Highlands Council would advise the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) on that exemption. The DEP is the agency empowered to grant those exemptions.

Initially, the Highlands Council asserted the project was inconsistent with the Highlands master plan, but it now has prepared a draft report indicating the project is "consistent" with that master plan.

The Highlands Council is scheduled to discuss the draft report at its meeting at 1 p.m. on Thursday, June 25, at its office, 100 North Road, Chester. The draft report is posted on the council’s website at www.highlands.state.nj.us.

It also is accepting written public comments via email and in writing on the draft report through Friday, June 12. At the June 25 meeting, members of the public will be given three minutes per person to comment on the report.

Crivelli said people objecting to and raising concerns about the application to upgrade power lines to 500 kilovolts, which PSE&G officials say is needed to comply with federal standards and improve overall service plan believe it presents "potential hardships to many residents."

He said about 200 people had attended a rally in opposition to the proposal held in Newton last month.

Paying Property Owners?

Mayor Thomas Donadio asked Crivelli about reports PSE&G is offering $1,000 payments to landowners along the project line.

"A thousand dollars for two years of misery seems like a paltry sum," Crivelli replied, referring to the construction period.

He said his understanding was the offer was compensation for property owners to allow the company to go beyond the existing easement during construction to bring in machinery. He added the fact PSE&G has made the offer to the Highlands Coalition and to property owners along the line to him indicates an acknowledgement of potential impacts of the project and he said that now it would be a matter of the affected people negotiating from that starting point.

The company is seeking in its application to add 500 kilovolt lines along an existing corridor of power lines from Pennsylvania through Northwest New Jersey to Roseland.

About half of the 46-mile route is in Morris County. In addition to a remote section near the Split Rock Reservoir that includes parts of Boonton Township, Rockaway Township and Kinnelon, Montville Township, East Hanover and Byram Township in Sussex County, have existing power lines slated for the upgrade.

Objectors have said they are concerned about everything from health and environmental issues to property values.

Company Cites Mandates

George Sous from Public Service Electric & Gas (PSE&G) has been giving public presentations on the proposal and the Power Point is available at reliabilityproject.pseg.com.

When he gave the presentation in Rockaway Township, he urged residents with questions about the project to visit the site, which he said was interactive.

He explained the company is required to upgrade its service lines to comply with federal guidelines projected the current trend of an increased demand for electricity will continue.

Sous cited all the modern appliances and electronics which people now commonly have in their homes as one major reason for the lines, which he said are more than 30 years old, to be upgraded.

He said the utility considered a couple of options, but decided on using the path along its existing power lines for a number of reasons, including the fact it would not disturb new areas.

He said towers that now range in height from 65 to 85 feet could range from 80 to 150 feet along the project, but would be more streamlined and the color would blend in better with the surrounding environment than the current scarecrow, metal type structures along the right of way.

The utility also decided not to seek to widen the existing right of way, but to go up instead, to minimize the impact on surrounding properties.

Sous said it was estimated it would take two and a half years to do the work.